Looking better as a team

Life is learned as we are instructed by the people are most dear to us and the evolving events that through experience, teach us as they erase our ignorance and replace it with wisdom. Butterflies and Bullfrogs teach us how the process of metamorphosis can make a caterpillar and a tadpole something that looks nothing like what they were at birth. Our city is evolving into something that looks nothing like what it was at our inception. Each month it is our intent to reveal the many things taking place that is moving West Park into a place where we can be proud that we live in the “City of Positive Progression.” Although our city is progressing there has been a common formula that we can attribute to our growth TEAMWORK.

A few years ago I wrote about that Teamwork is the FUEL that allows Common People to Produce Uncommon Results. The movie “Remember the Titans” is focused on bringing together different cultures and races and developing them into a team. The coaches do this by hard work and intentional focus. The team that was less than average eventually comes together and become an unbeatable high school football team. It is a different team but one that learned to function by practicing teamwork. I have discovered that life has individual accomplishments and collective accomplishments. The individual landmarks benefits one person whereas the collective landmarks benefits many people. I remember LeBron James, of the Miami Heat, made a statement in deciding to come to South Beach, which says, “I can be great as an individual but I can only win a championship with a team.” Groundbreaking highlights on the path to an objective are not always things we expected on our journey, but they are periods that paint a clear picture of the kind of dedication and determination that against the odds, breeds success. I believe that success has two phases, which can only be accomplished only through teamwork.

The key to teamwork is relationships, when they exist between each of the members of the team we are on our way to reaching our destiny. When this city or any organization is functioning as a team of players with different abilities, they have an unstoppable force. It forms the power of one in the voices of many. We have proven that we have a team. John Maxwell in his book, “The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player” states, “Great challenges require great teamwork, and the quality most needed among teammates amid the pressure of a difficult challenge is collaboration.” Notice that he did not say ‘cooperation’ because collaboration is more than that. Cooperationis working together aggressively. Collaborative teammates do more than just work with one another. Each person brings something to the table that adds value to the relationship and synergy to the team. The sum of truly collaborative teamwork is always greater than its parts. As a team we have reached many goals. Goals are like first downs in a football game. The ultimate objective is the touchdown after the many first downs. Well, we have made many first downs. Let us continue to huddle up and plan our next play and if we keep getting first downs we will eventually make a touchdown.